Exercise has been shown to have significant benefits to the general population as well as athletes of all types. The term Functional Training has started to become more popular recently. Functional Training may be referred to as “purposeful training”, as it is not exercise for the sake of exercise, or exercise to build a bigger biceps muscle. Functional training is performing exercises to simulate an activity or motion used on the playing field or in life.
Endurance athletes have traditionally trained functionally. If they are runners, they run. If they are cyclists, they ride. Many athletes fall under the umbrella of strength and power. Throwing a discus, jumping and sprinting are better equated to power development than to strength as an optimal result is the work done over the shortest amount of time. A football lineman exploding off the line to meet his opponent relies on his power for optimal performance. Holding his position against the forces of the opponent uses his strength. An athlete's strength is important when it comes to slow movements under a great deal of resistance. Power is important when the movement is fast. It is easy to see that both strength and power are important in many physical events.
Functional training in strength and power has only started to gain popularity. Functional strength training in a gym or weight room has previously been limited due to the lack of equipment available to simulate functional events. A barbell squat is very good for developing strength in the lower body extensor muscles of the user, but it is only functional if that athlete competes by lifting a bar placed on his back. For a power lifter, it is functional, as this type of lifting is how that athlete competes. For the football lineman, a squat may be a good supplementary exercise to build strength, but the conditions on the field are far from replicated in a squat rack. On the field, the athlete will move and step. Under load they may be momentarily balanced on one foot. Load may be applied to the hands and supported by the feet on the ground, thus the arms to the torso to the legs are all under stress. Little, if any, gym based exercise equipment truly prepares the athlete for these conditions.
One item currently used by strength and conditioning professionals is an old truck tire. The tire may be laid flat on the ground or turf. The user approaches the tire, puts their hands under the lower edge of the tire and then lifts the tire to vertical and pushes it over. Though this presents a very functional movement, the tire has several limitations as a form of resistance. First, the weight cannot be changed to accommodate different users or progressive resistance as an athlete increases in strength and power. The diameter and thickness (height) are different for many tires and are therefore inconsistent from one program to the next. New tires can cost tens of thousands of dollars and are therefore, not practical. The usual process is to buy tires before they are recycled. This presents a “this is what is available, take it or leave it” situation for the strength coach and his athletes. In addition, a 700 pound tire cannot be broken down to a 200 pound frame, that may be more easily moved and stored, and 500 pounds of weight plates that can be used elsewhere. The tire was designed to be a tire and not a piece of exercise equipment, so there are other natural limitations such as the lack of proper handles. Also, worn tires often have exposed steel belts that can rub against the athlete's arms, resulting in injury to the athlete and limiting the weight they can lift due to an inability to hold on to the tire. A tire also requires a supinated grip, which predisposes the athlete to distal biceps tendon stress. Many a strength athlete wears the scar of a biceps tendon surgery as a result of the combination of a very high load and a supinated grip. A similar lift only using a pronated grip rarely if ever results in damage to the tendons in the elbow.
Another clear advantage of any product, and exercise equipment is not unique, is the ability to easily convert any device to perform a different function. The ability to add or remove sled skids on a piece of functional training equipment allows additional function at minimal cost, because much of the structure of the original equipment is used for both purposes. With budget limitations and equipment purchases being more competitive, multiple function capability of any piece of equipment may be desired.
It should, therefore, be appreciated that there is a need for a functional training device that allows for altering resistance for different users, as well as enables progressive training as the user increases in strength and power development. The present invention fulfills this need and others.